1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of securing and controlling access to information, such as data and/or applications, from a computer platform having a microcomputer.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, the strongly developing market for microcomputers, network technology, and low-cost large-capacity recording media has led to conditions that are favorable for increasing communication and/or interchange of information. The developing market also enables commercial activities based on making data and/or applications available to potential users on demand, and in return for payment. Moreover, the activities primarily use personal microcomputers.
Unfortunately, a personal microcomputer is designed for a variety of uses (personal or professional applications, games, technical applications, . . . ), and thus has an "open" architecture. New elements, both software and hardware, can readily be added to change the configuration of the machine as a function of users' own requirements and/or as a function of the services or applications accessible to users.
As a result, there are computer platforms that operate in a generally non-secure context, which context is even less secure in that there is always parallel activity in the development of piracy techniques. This parallel development of piracy can present problems as a function of the uses, services, and/or applications that may be implemented on such "open" architecture computer platforms.
To solve these problems, numerous solutions have been proposed in the field of security. For example, some solution have been to install identity codes to identify users before any communication or interchange of data; install access codes to obtain authorization to access data and/or applications; use encoding or encrypting techniques to guarantee that data being transmitted or interchanged is kept confidential or secret; and use authorization techniques to verify the accuracy of data that is being transmitted or exchanged.
Unfortunately, even at high levels of sophistication, such solutions turn out to be insufficient. Even with all or some of the solutions that have been proposed in the past, such applications cannot be viable if the information is accessed on a computer platform that is not secure. The reliability of safety checks intended to guarantee that a user is indeed entitled to access the information and/or that the fees corresponding to said access have indeed been paid can never be complete when the checks are performed in a non-secure environment.